User Reviews

Went there for happy hour. Cool place, with outdoor seating, an upatairs, and a good vibe. Best part for me was they had LA fin du monde on the happy hour list. It was only 5 bucks for maybe the best beer out there. I didn't eat, but my co workers all agreed the food was great as well.

After trying to go to the now-shuttered Farmers' Cabinet and stopping at Moriarty's for a beer or two, the wife and I ended up having lunch at Tria on Spruce.

This is a classy spot in Center City/Washington Square, pretty packed on a Sunday at 4pm at that odd hour between brunch and dinner.

We loved the food, a succession of smart small plates like truffled egg toast, crab-stuffed peppers, cheese bruschetta and what not. You can order a couple of small jawns and be all set for the day.

The beer selection is divided in "invigorating", "friendly", "profound" and "extreme". I didn't find anything terribly extreme or profound on the list, but there is some good stuff. Of the 27 beers listed, 8 are drafts: Allagash White, Victory Braumeister Pils, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin', Two Brothers, Dupont Moinette, Double Jack... plus all the cans and bottles.

I'd love to see a broader selection of beer here, but the food more than makes up for it. I will certainly come back and visit the other Tria locations.

Went here during beer week 2012 for a lost abbey event with oglmcdgl and sourbatch kid.

Tria located dab stab on 12th and spruce looks inviting from the outside. Nice awnings with a brownish tint, with seating on the outside on a nice intersection in Philly. Inside, a nicely furnished and all importantly clean interior with some dark wood here and there. Bar seats about 15 at most. A tap set up of about 12 beers with a pretty extensive bottle list that is well thought out for cheese and char pairings.

The menu was displayed on a clip board with food and beer separated. Nicely structured descriptions of everything. In this particular moment, there was some Lost Abbey sours on tap including Tomme and some Ad lib as well. This was during beer week but I keep track of Tria's tap menu year round and some thands be coming out. Either or, the rest of the taplist usually is geared towards pairings with some dope ass cheese and nicely portioned char boards.

I like the layout of this joint and it's like a high end beer cheese/char pairing place without the space constraints of Benelux and the extremely high prices of some other unnamed places. With that said, there are some high priced offerings on food/beer list, but you get what you pay for.

Having grabbed a beer at both locations, I've decided I prefer this Tria. I was lucky enough to hit the most recent Sunday School, and my review will reflect that experience.

I suppose there are lots of wine bars like this in every medium and large sized city in America: soft lighting, earth tones, cheese boards. What sets Tria apart, and what makes this review germane, is its commitment to beer. In a city that takes beer very seriously, Tria doesn't necessarily stand out for the breadth of its offerings. Rather, the beer menu is structured to be very approachable. While I'll always prefer a beer list organized by brewery or style, Tria's general category/flavor-based menu is an effective tool for removing the guesswork from ordering a beer. That said, good options abound: I had a Bourbon Angel's Share on draft, while my dining companion opted for the Sunday School special $5 bottle of Aecht Scherlenka Marzen.

Tria's commitment to the demystification of urbanity certainly extends to the world of cheese, a subject in which my knowledge is sorely lacking. I had some absolutely delicious cheeses this past weekend, and was aided in my selection both by the descriptive menu and our very helpful server. It's worth noting that Washington Square was packed during my visit, with thousands of people flocking to the neighborhood for Outfest. Though the restaurant and streets were both quite crowded, our server handled the situation with aplomb and seemed to have a very solid grasp of the beer menu.

Tria strikes me as a very dependable spot, and a pretty ideal venue for an afternoon beer. Though not the geekiest of bars, it's nonetheless a great place for beer that would shine in any major city.

My less favorite Tria location but still a worthy stop. We make it here less often because we much prefer Varga Bar two blocks east.

The location has an openness that is a welcome change from the original location on Sansom. On a nice day, as shown in the thumbnail photo on the BA page, the 12th Street side of the building is wide open, creating a great sidewalk cafe feel. There is a slightly angled bar with about 15 seats, some up tables, some outdoor seating and a small balcony that holds a few additional small tables.

Draft list is small but all high quality with a wide variety of styles. I have always been able to find good American and Belgian selections. Food is very good, especially the cheese and charcuterie selections.

Service is often a sore spot in this location, standoffishness and neglect are common. Which is odd because the service on Sansom is uniformly excellent. Anyway, a nice spot to tag team with Varga but if I can only stop at one of the two, this is the one I skip.

It has outside and inside seating, the inside is artfully decorated and modern. The crowd was mid twenties to mid thirties and it was fairly busy on a thursday night.

The food is somewhat small plates style with the menu divided into snacks, bruschetta, salads, sandwiches, deserts and cheeses. The food that we ordered was pretty good with the smoked duck salad being really good.

The beer selection was nice with about thirty choices , some on draft with the majority in bottles. I enjoyed some firestone walker and russian river here. The wine selection was good with some nice choices and some nods to seasonality.

The service was very good though our waitress did dump the yeast from one of the more expensive bottled beers we ordered into our glasses without asking.

I made my way down here after stopping in for lunch at Jose Pistolas during a recent visit.

Atmosphere is interesting, very slick and modern. A long bar sits along the wall upon entering with tables to the left. Near the back of the place more tables sit a few steps up from the rest of the bar.

Quality is good. All bottled beers are served with a glass at room temperature and the draft beers are poured at a good temperature with proper amounts of head. Glassware is appropriate based on the beer being ordered but it doesn't look terribly extensive.

Service is very good. I waited almost no time at all for a beer and the staff was fairly knowledgeable about the beers being served.

Selection is good. The beers are carefully chosen and my only qualm is that they don't have enough on-tap. As with most other places in the city locals are well-represented however there are also a good deal of Belgians on-tap.

Value is good. It's just a bit on the pricey side but not enough to warrant that third $.

Overall this place was certainly worth a stop for me. The selection is solid however the somewhat sterile vibe and limited tap list would likely prevent me from stopping in regularly if I was a resident. Still, it's worth stopping in to see for yourself.

Ahhhh, finally a *lively* spot...after two+ days of light/medium crowds, this place was hopping on a work night! Pretty neighborhood, walkable as can be and what do I do? Drive there. Lazy me. Rather, LATE me...I was tardy for my drink date with awesome SEPA BAs sholland119 & vickster529! I was thankful they'd grabbed a sweet spot near the corner door, just inside an open curtain of tall windows. Indoors, meet Outdoors...

Good to see my friends in beerdom again; it had been nearly two years since a wonderful, but too brief, lunch at the Deschutes Pub on their Portland visit. Tria is a place built for socializing - welcoming warm colors, chic decor, open and sunny - so socializing is what we did. A weekday special '5 for 5' (discounted choices: 2 wines, 2 beers or a cheese plate for $5 each) fell conveniently during the time we'd chosen, so saving a few bucks while we talked was easy enough. I picked a local draught Pils (Victory's Braumeister-Sladek, not on special) that was bright and refreshing paired with a portion of the day's cheese (a nutty earthy wine-soaked Italian called 'Weinkase Lagrein').

I read up a little before my trip about Tria, thinking maybe I could make it to their 'Sunday School' (select items 1/2 price), but my Sunday was packed. Deals can be found during the right hours and days, but otherwise the fees are kinda high for what is a good but not incredible selection of cheeses, wines and beers. I smiled reading the headings for each beer group: Invigorating! Friendly! Profound! Extreme! There's a list of standards shown online and apparently infrequently updated; the taps and several bottles strayed from what was on their site. That's OK, I like surprises...

Midway into our stay, another steller BA pulled up a chair...finally a face-to-face with longtime trade partner and cool guy, jyoungsbcp! More food and beer were ordered, but i stuck with my choices to the dismay of our server, Mary, whose endearing soft-spoken attentiveness once again broke from my preconceptions. Don't know that she knew all that much about the beer, but she did a really good job nonetheless. As dusk approached, we all decided to settle up and head eastward.

Is it a little unfair to judge a place on a single visit, for just a pint and a small plate? Yeah, it is...then again my judgment is that I really like the place and would be happy heading back again to further 'study' it sometime. Well played, once again, Philadelphia...

Dropped in on a Thursday evening for drinks and dinner. We were visitng my sister-in-law and she always raves about the place. Very small, dimly lit with a modern feel. And I was told this was the bigger of the two locations. Menu was seperated into 4 pages: food, beer, wine, and cheese. We started with a small cheese platter and a few appetizrs. Beer list was not huge but was very well thought out. About 30 offering, 6 or so on tap. Didnt quite follow how they had them broken into groups, but still a very user friendly menu with descriptions of each beer. I started with a Cantillon Gueuze which was presented to me like a wine bottle and served in a wine glass. I personally liked that touch. Moved onto a Yards Extra Special Ale and finished with a Rulles Tripel. Beers were all served in proper glassware and at proper temps. My wife really enjoyed the wine list as well. We went ahead and had dinner as well. Food was good but not great, and seemed a little pricey for the portions, especially the cheese. Service was friendly but a touch sporadic.

Overall I certainly did enjoy this place. No, it is not even in the same league as Monk's when it comes to the beer but they still have an excellent selection and a much friendlier overall menu for the non-beer crowd. I would certianly go back if I find myself back in Philly.

Small place on the corner of 12th and Spruce. Has a pretty decent draft list, there were about 15 to choose from last time I was there. I feel they don't have quite enough variety though, no West Coast IPA's or crafts like that. They tend to focus on American Craft Belgian brews. Food is alright, cheese, small wimpy sandwiches, not what I am in to.

Service is friendly, but not that knowledgable about beer. They serve good wine at Tria also, and the wait staff seems to be more knowledgable about wine than beer. They are often only able to recite the one sentance blurb about the beer that is on the menu.

While walking down Spruce Street we decided to stop here and grab a pint. There were a few high top tables outside and two low tables. Inside the bar could seat about 12 people and has a modern feel to it. There is are tables on both the lower and the upper level located past the bar. Windows were opened for an airy feel.

There were 7 beers on tap during this visit which covered several styles. Sly Fox Grisette, Stone Cali-Belgique, Weihenstephaner Hefe, DFH 90 Minute, Dupont Avril, Yards Pale Ale, and Stoudts Gold. There are probably about 20 other beers in bottle such as Smuttynose Brown, Oud Beersal Kriek, Ommegang Abbey Ale, and Yards ESA. The beer menu breaks the selections out into categories such as Invigorating, Friendly, Profound and Extreme. RR Consecration is on the menu at $34 bottle, and most drafts are in the $5-7 range.

Service was very friendly. The waitress understood some of the offerings which was nice. The stay was pleasant and the beers were tasty. Did not have any food but it looked expensive for what you got.

Yes, this was my first visit, and I have to say I was very impressed. Tria definitely met my expectations, which were solely based others' experiences (my fiancé and a few friends). First of all, since I went on a Sunday, Sunday School was in full swing. This is a great idea, a 1/2 price wine, cheese, and beer selection intended for education and pairing. $3 Damnation? Hell yes! I'll admit I've never really been a fan of pairing cheese and beer, but the overall cheapness (both for the price of a regular draft) was enough to entice me to give it a go. Too bad there's a limit of one of each per customer. My two cohorts and I took full advantage of this.

Tria is smaller than expected, basically a shotgun bar area (single barrel) with a square of 10 tables or so upstairs. I'm told this is the larger of the two locations, if you plan to head out with a party larger than 2 (or really enjoy your personal space), the 12th and Spruce location may be a better choice, as you might have to wait for a table at the 18th and Sansom location. As far as I know, other than size the two locations are basically identical. Atmosphere was typical for a non-dive drinkery in Philly: dimly lit by interesting light fixtures, lots of wood fixtures, eclectic music selection (random jazz and electronica mixed with Bowie, the Clash, the Shins...that kind of thing). There were no TVs, which I enjoy in a good bar, however that made it hard to get any information about the game. The bottle list, while not huge (about 19), has something for everyone and covers an array of styles, including a few standards (Saison Dupont, Duvel, Founder's Breakfast Stout) and a few out there selections (Allagash Odyssey, Duchesse De Bourgonge, J.W. Lee's) thrown in for good measure. Of the 8 offerings on tap, half were from local/SE PA breweries (highlight: Victory Old Horizontal). This is standard for Philly bars, and rightfully so. After all, we do have an outstanding local beer scene. The food menu was relatively small, but the three of us agreed that our selections were very solid. Chicken, cheddar, green apple slices, and apple mustard seemed like a strange sandwich combination, but it was very tasty (I could go for one right now). The smoked duck salad and wild mushroom sandwich were delicious as well. No comment on the wine list and cheese selections, as we did not sample anything past the Sunday School offerings.

All of that aside, what really impressed me about Tria was the service. The staff was knowledgeable and extremely attentive. For example, my water glass never got below half-full at any point during our stay and someone was constantly there to check on us. Again, the place is small, but it never became intrusive and I really value not having to give "the look" to a server repeatedly when it's time for another beer. Disclaimer about the price rating: for Philly and the surrounding 'burbs it was reasonable, but will seem pricey to those traveling from farther out. Overall, I'd say Tria was definitely worth the journey, and I'll make it a point to stop by whenever I'm in the city...especially on if it's on a Sunday.

Originally posted 1/11/08 under "Tria":
I have to admit I've never stepped inside the Rittenhouse location, this review is for their newer location at ~ 12th x Spruce. I also admit I never had any intention to step into Tria, I had a preconceived notion that this place was not for me.

if you have no knowledge of this place as a beer bar, prepare to be happily surprised. And while it isn't truly an "Outstanding" beer bar, it makes up for in atmosphere, food and (apparently) serious wine list. I always thought Tria was solely wine&cheese until I stopped in for a quick drink w/ fiance & her fam. I Was pleased to see the 6-8 taps, and a well organized beer list.

atmosphere at this place was nice. definitely trendy but not in a negative way... the space had some good architectural design/details vs. many lounges that try hard in attitude where they lack in atmosphere.

I give this place points for the bottle selection (30 or so bottles) which included a few west coast beers I rarely see in Philly, although I ended up sipping one bottle of Saison Dupont which seemed appropriate for the evening. Unfortunately we didn't try any food.

Not where I'd typically go to enjoy a beer, but I imagine this is a good stop if you have wine loving company; PS- this location is much more "neighborhoody" than the Ritt location, which is a big plus for me.